It’s easy to forget that the most successful tech companies started with only a few people and a great idea. Whether that idea was to turn a San Francisco loft into a lodging space (with the promise of breakfast) or to tackle a city’s taxi problem, there was a time that the tech industry’s legacy darlings operated as startups.
As a company scales from startup to corporation, there’s a lot to learn from these businesses, especially in how they maintain a fiery, creative and stimulating culture among thousands of employees. Here's how some of New York City’s tech giants are handling just that:
They have a startup mission
One of the most influential fintech companies in New York is OnDeck, the B2B platform that helps small businesses approve loans faster than traditional lenders. Founded in 2007, OnDeck raised $208 million over 8 rounds. In December 2014, OnDeck went public with a valuation of $1.3 billion.
As the company has grown exponentially over the past decade, OnDeck has maintained its mission, representing the simple vision the company started with — to power the growth of small businesses through lending technology and innovation.
While this mission is broad and far-reaching, it has helped OnDeck stand out from the surge of fintech companies taking root in New York City. As such, the company has deployed over $4 billion in capital to thousands of business in 700 different industries.
They put a focus on culture
Seamless is a well-known name for most New Yorkers, as the company’s app is the go-to service for on-demand food delivery. The company has raised $51 million over three rounds and merged with GrubHub in 2013.
Their success is supplemented by the company’s emphasis on culture.
“We are always looking for innovative and tenacious talent to join our team. Seamless strives to make our customers’ lives easier; providing our restaurants with the tools they need to get their delicious food to our 6.4 million active diners. Applicants should be passionate about our product, collaborative and be able to contribute to our fast-paced — yet playful work environment," said the company.
Seamless also offers unlimited paid vacation days, regular in-office social events (think happy hours, wine tastings and karaoke), and company-wide initiatives that encourage innovation and continuous learning.
They promote teamwork, communication and collaboration
CA Technologies has been around for a while — since 1971 to be exact. Broadly, the company works on the design, development, marketing, licensing and support of IT management software products. CA Technologies went public in 1981.
With offices across the world, the company offers its employees the flexibility to move across its different functions or businesses in order to foster a team-oriented culture. The company also provides comprehensive career development programs in its diverse, fast-paced and collaborative approach to work.
“We help our employees bring great ideas to life—whether you’re a developer, designer, salesperson, or hybrid talent who doesn’t fit in just one box," said the company.
They have great startup perks
A hotly debated topic in the tech industry has surrounded parental leave policies, with notable founders shaking up the status quo. Following suit, Etsy, one of Brooklyn’s anchor tech companies, recently changed its parental leave policy to give every employee 26 weeks of paid leave when they give birth or adopt a child, regardless of the employee’s gender or country of residence.
Etsy operates an online marketplace where creative, crafty people can sell handmade items or vintage goods, and the company went public in 2015. In addition to this generous parental leave policy, Etsy also places an emphasis on community.
"At Etsy, you can do the work you love, be yourself, and take fun seriously," writes the company on its website. "Your teammates become teachers, sharing their skills at Etsy School. Competitive benefits, balanced working hours, and eco-friendly offices are engineered for human beings (not human doings). And everyone’s invited to break bread and make new friends at Eatsy, our locally-sourced communal lunch.”
They encourage entrepreneurship
When you think AOL, you’re probably reminded of your first desktop computer and initial experience browsing the internet, as the company was founded in 1985 to 'bring America online.' Last year, Verizon acquired AOL in a $4.4 billion deal.
Over the years, AOL has tried a variety of initiatives to emulate the free-thinking and entrepreneurial mentality behind startups. In 2014, AOL launched Alpha, an experimental arm that develops innovative, mobile-first apps.
Last week, AOL announced its latest project geared towards entrepreneurship — a startup incubator. The incubator, dubbed Area 51, will nurture startups created by AOL employees and select recent college graduates, providing them with funding and mentorship to develop out their own projects. If an idea is accepted into the program, the startup can develop in the incubator for a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of six months, upon which it can either merge into an AOL business or spin off into its own entity.
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